Closure for shower-bath attachments



H. B. PITCHER.

closunf fon showin snm MTAcHMfms.

APPLICATIUN FILED MAY l2. 1911. 1,316,739.

Patented Sept. 23, 1919.

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HUG-H B. PITCHER, OF BOONTON, NEW JERSEY, .ASSIGNOR TO CURTAINLESS SHOWER COMPANY, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION DELAWARE.

cLosUeE ron SHOWER-BATH ATrAcHMENrs.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 23, 1919.

Application filed May 12, 1917. Serial No. 168,095.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HUGH B. PITCHER, a

citizen of the United States, and resident of Shower-Bath Attachments, of which the following is a specification.A Y l In cert-ain types of ydemountalole shower bath attachments, such as is shown in the patent to Kenney, Reissue No. 13,911, dated May `4, 1915, it is usual to provide afbase adapted to be attached to the water supplying faucets of the bath tub and to provide two openings or outlets from such a base. One of these openings is designed to open upwardly into a supply pipe leading to the spray heads and the other is designed to open downwardly into the bath tub, to form in effect a continuation of the usual faucet outlet. The latter opening is usually provided position.

Accordingly, the primary `obj ect of my invention is to provide an improved form of closure which can be quickly moved to `and `from an operative or closing position and 'which when actively disposed will securel seal the opening leading into the tub.

A further obj ect of the invention is to organize the closure in connection with tension means acting on theJ same, that the closure is automatically moved into a position clear of the stream through the outlet opening when the closure is shifted `manually into a position offset from the opening.

Another defect inherent in known shower jbath attachmentbases of the class described is that, when the depending outlet is open, the water is frequently forced up the supply pipe resulting in a spraying discharge from the spray heads or at least there is caused an objectionable dripping of water from the spray heads.

Accordingly, another object of the inven-l tion is to provide a form of base in which all the water from the faucet is caused to flow down through the open outlet without backing up throu, 1;h the spray head supply pipe.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obvious from an inspection of the accompanying drawings and in part will be more fully set forth in the following particular description of one form of mechanism embodying my invention, and the invention also consists in certain new and novel features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view inside elevation of a lower portion of a shower bath attachment connected to a water faucet and showing a preferred embodiment of my invention with 4the closure in position to close the depend ing outlet.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the device shown in Fig. 1, and with the closure actively. disposed; and

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the closure in an inoperative position.

In the following description and in the claims, parts will be identified by specific names for convenience of expression but theyxare intended to be as generic in their application to similar parts as theY art will permit.

In the drawings, there is shown a conventional form of water faucet 4: to which is attached the lower portion of a shower `bath attachment of the type described. The

l`other end 9 of which is downwardly curved and enters into the wide bore 10 of the integral depending pipe `11l`con`stituting the discharged outlet nozzle into the'tub. The upper portion of the base is provided with a bore 12 opening down into the bore 10. The lower end of an upstanding pipe 13 which leads to the spray heads (not shown) is threaded into the upper end of the bore 12.

This construction differs from the conventional form. in that a slightly curved tongue 14 depends intov the bore 10 from the upper side of the casting and is arranged so as to curve the liquid passing through the passageway 7 downwardly Vthrough the outlet at the bottom of the casting. This tongue is so spaced from the opposite wall outlining the bore 10 that a choked by-pass 15 is formed which is so arranged that when the discharge through the pipe 11 is intercepted the: water will pass about the lower edge of the tongue and up into the pipe 13.

' The closure herein illustrated may be regarded asa separate article of manufacture and is arranged to be installed, not only upon the particular form of shower bath base herein illustrated, but with obvious mechanical changes may be designed to be installed on any bath device of this general character now in use.

The closure includes a stamped metal cap 16 outlined by an upturned flange rim 17, the .inner side of which is cut away as shown at 18 to facilitate the movement of the cap to and from its closing position, as shown respectively in Figs. 2 and 3. A packing of some compressible material 19 is fitted within the capL and arranged to engage the end of the pipe 11 when the closure is actively disposed as shown in Fig. 2. A spring stop 2O in the form of a flanged cap isV slidably mounted upon the pipe 13 and has opposite sides pivotally connected to opposite sides of the iianged rim 17 by means of a pair of rods 21. VThis stop constitutes a bearing for the upper end of a coiled spring 22 which is guided on the pipe 131 and in turn bears upon the upper face of the base which is flattened-to provide a seat 23 for the lower end of the spring.

Assuming that the closure is in its operative position as shown in Fig. 1 and that it is desired to open the flow through the pipe 11 into the bath tub, the closure is simply swung laterally of the pipe 11 in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1. .'Ihe reduced portion 18 of the iiange permits the packing 19 to be slipped away from the pipe end without damage to the packing and without any particular resistance `from the spring 22. When the closure 'is drawn clear or partly clear of the pipe 11, the pulling tension thereon is released .which permits the spring 22 to act on the stop 20 and thus draw the closure into the raised tilted position shown in Fig. 3. While in this position it will be noted that the closure is oiiset from and entirely clear of any stream issuing through the pipe 11,

so that there is avoided the iapping effect Vcharacterizing the swinging types of closures now used in devices of this character. When in `open position the flow through the passageway 7 is directed downwardly through thediseharge opening and in this construction there is eliminated the objectionable back filling of the upstanding pipe 13 which has heretofore resulted from high pressure through the faucet supplying such devices now in general use.

Should it be desired to close the outlet, the cap is grasped `and drawn down thus compressing the spring and `the cap is slipped in under the pipe end. Releasing the hold on the cap permits the spring to firmly draw the cap into closing engagement with the outlet as shown in Fig. 2.

The closing member and its coacting springs and parts may be readily installed in position on the conventional forms of shower bath bases simply by separating the supply pipe from the base portion and threading the stop and spring in order on the pipe after which the pipe is re-rotated into threaded engagement with the base.

vWhile I have shown and described, and have pointed out in the annexed claims, certain novel features of my invention, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spi-rit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a shower bath attachment, a base therefore comprising a casting provided with means for mounting the same in position on a bath tub faucet, said casting provided with a water conducting passageway including a horizontally disposed portion with an inlet at one end `adapted to receive water from the supporting faucet and a depending outlet at the opposite end, said outlet being relatively large in cross-section compared with the cross-section of the horizontally disposed portion of the passageway, a second outlet above said depending outlet, a curved tongue depending from the top of the casting toward said outlet to curve the iiow from said horizontal portion into said depending outlet, the lower end of said tongue being spaced from said' depending outlet to form a passageway leading to said second' outlet and means for intercepting the iow through said depending outlet thereby to cause the flow to pass about the lower end of said tongue and out through the second outlet.

2. In a shower bath attachment, a member provided with a water conducting passageway having a horizontal portion and a depending outlet at one end, a curved tongue depending into said Apassageway toward said outlet thereby to curve the flow from said horizontal portion into said depending outlet when the said outlet is open, said tongue spaced from the adjacent wall of the passageway to form an upwardly directing outlet and means for closing said depending outlet thereby to Cause the water to flow about said tongue and out through said upwardly directing outlet.

3. In a shower bath attachment, a casting in the form of a T provided with a water conducting passageway including a horizontal portion with an upwardly extending opening and a downwardly extending opening` therefrom, an upstanding supply pipe demountahly screwed into said upwardly extending opening, a stop cap slidably mounted on said pipe, a spring guided on said pipe and positioned between the casting and cap, a closure for the downwardly extending outlet and means connecting said stop cap and closure, said spring adapted to act on said closure when in inoperative position to draw the same into position clear of the liquid stream discharged from said downwardly extending outlet.

t. In a shower bath attachment, a base provided with a depending outlet pipe, an upstanding supply pipe positioned above said outlet, a stop member slidably mounted on said pipe and free to move upwardly thereon, a compression spring disposed between the stop and base, a closure for the outlet7 and a link connection between the closure and said stop, said spring adapted to act on said closure for holding the same in .v

operative position and to expand its full distance to hold the closure in an inoperative position.

5. In a device of the class described, a conduit provided with an outlet on one side and a spring guiding member positioned on the opposite side, a cap slidably mounted on said guiding member, a spring coiled about said guiding member between said conduit and said cap and adapted to bear on the cap to force the same in a direction away from the conduit, a closure for said outlet, and a rod connecting said closure with said cap whereby the spring will act through the sliding cap and rod to hold the closure in position.

Signed at New York citv in the county of New York and State of New York this 7 day of May A. D. 1917.

HUGH B. PITCHER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. i 

